MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Head coach Theodore Whitmore will have a good idea of just where the Reggae Boyz band is when they face Argentina in a friendly international here at the Jose Maria Minella Stadium at 10:30 pm (8:30 pm Jamaica time) today.

At stake will be the Copa Loteria de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, or the Buenos Aires Province Lottery Cup, and while both sides will be without their first-string players, that represents the only similarities between two teams, who are at different ends of the global football ladder.

For Argentina and their mercurial coach Diego Maradona, it is the continued search for players to complete the 23-man roster for this summer’s South Africa World Cup Finals, while for Whitmore, it is a chance to identify players for the future.

“Yesterday (Sunday) we had a nice little blowout, a good training session. The players showed a lot of effort, a lot of enthusiasm,” beamed Whitmore on Monday night.

“This evening (Monday) we saw a more game-like situation training session and it has gone down well.

“We wanted to keep possession of the football and we wanted to close down our opponents more quickly and try to be more compact,” he added.

The former Reggae Boy said he was pleased with the first two days of training, though he had some areas of concern.

“In some sort of way,” responded Whitmore to queries about his feedback on the players’ efforts. “It was 11 against seven, but I’m somewhat pleased… Not all the areas we were satisfied with. Some of the areas we will walk through it tomorrow (yesterday).”

He identified the midfield as an area where he was not totally happy, but he put to down to just indiscipline on the part of the starting team due to the difference in numbers on the pitch.

The supposed starting team had 11 players, while the other side had seven, and that allowed players on the starting team to charge away from their positions, something that did not go down well with the coach.

He also noted that the defensive unit was slow in transition from defence to attack, but he had hoped to walk the players through it at the game’s venue last evening, only to be told yesterday that his team couldn’t train at the match venue because it was “under construction”.

As a result, the team held their last session at the Kimberley Atletico Club, but a promise to “walk” the Jose Maria Minella Stadium afterwards was never materialised as the delegation was given another frivolous reason by the organisers.

But following his final training session yesterday, Whitmore said his players had had a better understanding of the roles and functions that he requires for today’s game.

As a result, Dwayne Miller will start in goal, backed by a three-man defence of Shavar Thomas, Jermaine Taylor and Adrian Reid.

The four-man midfield will be marshalled by Richard Edwards and Rodolph Austin, flanked by Lovel Palmer on the right and Navion Boyd on the left.

Keammar Daley, Omar Cummings and Ryan Johnson will form the three-pronged attack.

And despite the match-up looking like the proverbial ‘David vs Goliath’, Whitmore can’t wait for it to happen.

“In the past we’ve played against big teams and people were expressing similar sentiments, (of a massive defeat), and we drew that game. What I know about the Jamaica team is that we want to play against the big teams. I’m more concerned about playing against the Caribbean teams.”

Meanwhile, Maradona had his only training session at the Argentina Football Association (AFA) headquarters at 11:30 am (9:30 am Jamaica time) yesterday, and his team was scheduled to fly into Mar del Plata at 9:30 last night after which he was scheduled to call a press conference at the team’s hotel, a few blocks away from the Hermitage Hotel.

The Argentine idol, who led the South American country to World Cup glory in Mexico in 1986, has included six first-time players who are from Mar del Plata.

And on Monday, he called up Fabian Monzon to replace the injured Lucas Licht of Racing, who underwent an operation below his right knee.

The number brings the total to 101 players in 16 matches who Maradona has called to the squad since assuming leadership of the team in November 2008.

The officials for the game are Peruvians, Victor Hugo (referee), Winston Reategui Vela and Cesar Escano Zambrano (assistant referees) and Diego Abal (fourth official).

The Jamaican squad is completed by DuWayne Kerr, Demar Stewart, Dicoy Williams, Jason Johnson, Devon Hodges, Jevaughn Watson and Dane Richards.

Argentine squad: Goalkeepers Nelson Ibanez (Godoy Cruz), Cristian Campestrini (Arsenal); Defenders: Matias Caruzzo (Argentinos Juniors), Ignacio Canuto (Argentinos Juniors), Leonel Galeano (Independiente), Mariano Echeverria (Chacarita Juniors), Gabriel Mercado (Racing Club); Midfielders: Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), Federico Insua (Boca Juniors), Jesus Mendez (Boca Juniors), Walter Acevedo (Independiente), Patricio Toranzo (Huracan) and Monzan; Forwards: Martin Palermo (Boca juniors), Nicolas Gaitan (Boca Juniors), Gabriel Hauche (Racing), Franco Jara (Arsenal), Claudio Bieler (Racing).